Pakistan ready to support Afghan peace efforts

ISLAMABAD (PAN): Pakistan on Friday spurned the Karzai administration’s claim that it had set “impossible preconditions” for the supporting the Afghan-led reconciliation process.

In response to President Karzai spokesman Aimal Faizi’s allegations, a spokesman for the foreign ministry insisted Pakistan was wholeheartedly supporting the peace effort without any conditions.

Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry said the proposal for a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) between Pakistan and Afghanistan had emanated from President Karzai and had been hailed by the government in Islamabad.

Pakistan had never demand that Afghanistan cut all ties to India, he said, explaining that Islamabad had no objection to, or issue with, Kabul developing relations with any country.

“We have only stressed that those external forces which are using the soil of Afghanistan to destabilise Pakistan should be discouraged,” the spokesman said in a statement.

On the issue of sending Afghan army officers to Pakistan for training, he said the offer had been held out by Pakistan to meet the training needs of Afghan security forces. “This offers of goodwill should not be construed as pre-conditions, he concluded.

While accusing Pakistan of scuttling efforts at ending the 11-year insurgency, Faizi indicated Afghanistan would explore other ways of restoring peace and stability.

He spurned unanimous Pakistani foreign ministry officials’ allegations that Karzai himself was an obstacle to the peace process.

Faizi claimed a Pakistan had abandoned the peace effort and imposed impossible preconditions on any further discussions that would encourage the Taliban to renounce militancy.